A new era of transformative research and innovation policy? Lessons for the UK from the US
This blog is a contribution from one of IIPP’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) students. To find out more about the course, click here.
A recent letter sent from President Biden to his most senior science advisor, Dr. Eric S. Lander, lays down the challenge for future science, technology and innovation policy by asking a simple question: how can it address major global challenges and benefit all in society?
This is a huge question, and the very act of posing it should give us all pause for reflection. This isn’t just the case for the US but for other countries too, including the UK.
In my view, there are two things that the letter states really powerfully, and one that could have been more strongly stated.
Let’s start with the positives.
The power of evoking the past
The letter references a similar letter written by President Roosevelt to his science advisor, Dr. Vannevar Bush following the Second World War. This is no coincidence: Biden’s letter is actively drawing parallels with a previous era of strong government, a return to relative political stability after a time of social upheaval and the beginnings of a period of economic rejuvenation — a moment in history that cemented America’s role as an economic powerhouse. Then, as now, countries like the US were focused on ‘Building Back Better’ following years of economic and social upheaval marked by war and the financial crisis of the 1930s that preceded it.
A strong federal push on science and technology policy and investment at that time saw the establishment of new science and innovation institutions such as what became DARPA (Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency), which focused on emerging and breakthrough technologies, alongside the initiation of high-profile technological missions such as the trip to the moon. The result was a boost in scientific management and R&D acceleration, and a growing emphasis on innovation as a concept linking processes of science and technological change to economic growth and social development.
The current letter comes at a time when the US is facing comparable shocks to the late-1940s. While Covid-19 is an unprecedented challenge for all countries, it has also served as a magnifier of pre-existing issues. In the US, and the UK, this includes deep levels of economic inequality, low productivity and political division. By invoking this earlier time Biden is reflecting American values and using a language that communicates his desire to reconnect the electorate around the collective good and a brighter future.
Setting a new path for future dignity and prosperity
A key factor in the inequalities and divisions that are present in the US and the UK has been the dominance of neoliberalism and its emphasis on strong economic growth without real pause to think about the consequences for society as a whole. This approach equates to narrow conceptualisations of innovation which favour market-led solutions and a smaller role for governments, for example in fixing “market failures”. Traces of this ideological framework are present in Biden’s letter, but these sit alongside a new language concerned with “dignity and respect” and “sustainable prosperity”. With this kind of phrasing, the letter paves the way for a ‘broad church’ research and innovation strategy focused on challenges such as climate change, new job creation and economic inequality. As such, it sends a clear message about ensuring the collective benefits of research and innovation are evenly distributed for “a more just, peaceful and prosperous world.”
Where is government in this?
As with the letter Roosevelt wrote to Vannevar Bush, we can expect a response akin to Science — The Endless Frontier that sets out the importance of science and technology policy and capacity in addressing these issues. However, what is also needed to deliver this ambitious agenda is a strong on-going role for the state in providing direction for sustainable and inclusive growth and helping to bring together all of the actors that need to be part of that effort.
There are hints of this appetite in references to “breaking down barriers” and “bringing together the brightest minds across academia, industry and government”. But this could have gone further and laid out the critical role for government at different levels in setting clear priorities and direction and convening those who together can find more holistic solutions to current day challenges. This might include the use of “missions” — an approach advocated by UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose — or similar instruments to inspire innovation with clear direction. These would necessitate contributions from several policy domains, research fields and sectors rather than being tilted to favour STEM subject fields over the contributions from social science, arts and humanities, as the letter suggests, or business over other voices such as charities and communities themselves.
What lessons for research and innovation policy in the UK?
This is a huge moment in American politics and many of us across the world watch with anticipation to see how this administration might inspire a nation. There is potential learning here for the UK in how it too seeks to address global challenges. This might include reflection on the role government should play in setting a clear agenda for change that inspires a generation to think and act collectively. There are also lessons for the role that research and innovation can play in helping carve a path that ensures dignity and sustainable prosperity.
What does this look like and what strategies, activities and structures are needed to make this happen? Do they exist already, or do we need to evolve existing ones or even design new ones? The UK R&D Roadmap reflects some — but by no means all — of these questions. Also, the UK government’s recent announcement on its new (D)ARPA-style agency, ARIA (Advanced Research and Invention Agency), could be part of this re-vamp. However, questions remain about its core focus and whether it will provide the right structure for driving bold and transformative innovation.
Despite the creation of ARIA, it is difficult to imagine the UK Prime Minister writing a Biden-style letter to the Government’s Chief Scientist or the CEO of UKRI, the UK’s main public funding agency for Research and Innovation, that is so aspirational in scope — asking for ambitious thoughts on how research and innovation can deliver for the next 75 years rather than the remaining four years of the current parliament (or even one year of a spending review). But perhaps that is ultimately what is needed to truly deliver prosperity for all social groups, sectors and places of the UK.
